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by the Borough returned for their ten weeks supervised practice
prior to certification. All nine students passed their examinations
and were appointed to work in the Borough's health visiting service.
Field Work Instructor Courses
Three health visitors were trained during the year to relieve
Centre Superintendents who have continued to give field experience
to students after their promotion.
It is undesirable to add the administrative responsibilities of a
Centre Superintendent to those of a Field Work Instructor. It is
also preferable to have available, to undertake responsibility for
the ten weeks supervised practice prior to certification, a senior
member of staff in each centre who has not been responsible for
students during the academic year.
"In Service" Training
Study days were held for clinic nurses and School Nursing
Sisters were able to attend "in-service" training courses arranged
by the London Boroughs Training Committee.
Refresher Courses
Health Visitors and District Nurses attended Refresher courses
as appropriate and a number of 1-3 day courses were also attended
by the staff. These help considerably in keeping health visitors
and nurses up to date and in maintaining their interest.
Observation and Other Visits
Under the supervision of Health Visitors and District Nurses
some 382 hospital nurses were given observation experience in
the field, experience which was supplemented by lectures and
discussions with Nursing Officers. These sessions form an essential
part of the nurses' training and they entail a considerable amount of
preparation by the staff participating.
Child Health Centres
At these Centres during the current year, our developmental
examinations of the pre-school child have proceeded with the aim,
ultimately, of offering birthday appointments for such a comprehensive
investigation to all children in this age group. Maintenance
of a close liaison with other services and with general practitioners
and paediatricians ensures that these examinations become really
comprehensive and truly preventive.
Statistics for 1970 relating to Child Health Clinics are given in
the following table:—